Though “We the Living” is one of Rand’s lesser known works of fiction, it is the most unforgettable. Set in the years immediately following the Bolshevik Revolution, it tells the story of Kira, a young woman facing the new communist regime, and her two lovers – Leo, an aristocrat and Andrei, a Party member.

Rand’s gritty narrative portrays the bleak life of non-proletarians in a totalitarian state, offset by the protagonists’ fierce determination to live life on their terms. Kira, Leo and Andrei, three people with different ideals stemming from common principles, unflailingly battle their enforced destinies until the grim, yet triumphant climax.